Propulsion Engineer II/III - Alpha Turbopumps

Firefly Aerospace; Bertram (TX); In loco; USD 120.000 - 190.000; Tempo pieno

Vantaggi offerti da questo lavoro

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision coverage

Parental leave

Relocation assistance

Educational reimbursement

Short-term disability

Flexible PTO

Descrizione del lavoro

Firefly Aerospace seeks a Turbomachinery Engineer to own turbopump hardware across its full lifecycle, from concept to flight. You will lead fluid, structural, thermal, and dynamic analyses and collaborate with fabrication and integration teams to ensure robust turbopump performance.

The role requires hands-on hardware design and testing, strong fundamentals in rotating machinery, and proficiency with CAD tools like NX and Teamcenter, as well as GD&T standards.

Competenze

• B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace engineering required or equivalent.
• 3+ years experience for Level II; 6+ years for Level III.
• Strong understanding of rotating machinery and propulsion hardware.
• Hands-on hardware design, fabrication, and testing experience.
• Proficiency with CAD/CAx tools and GD&T per ASME Y14.5.

Mansioni

• Own turbopump hardware lifecycle from concept to flight.
• Lead design and analysis of turbopump components for reliability and manufacturability.
• Develop first-principles tools/models to predict turbopump performance.
• Plan and execute development, qualification, and acceptance testing.

Conoscenze

Rotating machinery

Fluid dynamics

Thermodynamics

Heat transfer

Solid mechanics

First principles

Problem solving

Technical writing

Communication

Formazione

B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Advanced degree (preferred)

Strumenti

Siemens NX

Teamcenter

GD&T

ASME Y14.5

Python

MATLAB

LabVIEW

GFSSP

ANSYS

StarCCM+

BladeGen

XLRotor (rotordynamics)

Descrizione del lavoro

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACEFirefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company that enables our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the only commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the only company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.About the RoleThe Alpha Engines team is responsible for the design, integration, and operation of the Reaver and Lightning engines that power the first and second stages of Firefly's Alpha launch vehicle. As the Turbopump Assembly Responsible Engineer, you will own turbomachinery hardware across its full lifecycle — requirements definition, design, analysis, development, test, qualification, and flight.You will lead the design and analysis efforts of the hardware, collaborate with fabrication and integration teams to manufacture and assemble the system, and support testing and flight operations. You will serve as a turbomachinery subject matter expert for the Alpha Engines team and provide an active voice in engine development, test campaigns, and launch operations.This role requires deep technical knowledge of rotating machinery, extreme ownership of hardware from concept to flight, and clear communication with cross-functional partners including propulsion, structures, avionics, and vehicle systems. The successful candidate will be a self-starter who enjoys challenging assumptions, thrives in a fast-paced development environment, and seeks to make impactful contributions to Firefly's mission.ResponsibilitiesDemonstrate full ownership of turbopump hardware through the full product life cycleOwn the fluid and mechanical design of turbopump components to meet operational requirementsLead design improvement efforts emphasizing reliability and manufacturability upgradesDrive all analyses for turbopump hardware for including fluid, structural, thermal, and dynamicDevelop and maintain first-principles tools and models to predict turbopump performance and operabilityOwn tolerance stackups, and design databooks; collaborate with manufacturing and quality to ensure assembled turbopumps meet design intentPlan, coordinate, and execute component and assembly development, qualification, and acceptance testing — defining test configurations and procedures, supporting execution, and leading data review and anomaly resolutionAuthor and present design review, test readiness, and data review presentations to internal and external stakeholdersIdentify system-level risks, perform trade studies, and drive decisions based on technical merit, risk, cost, schedule, and quality to ensure successful engine and vehicle operationProvide hands-on support for turbopump and engine manufacturing and assembly and assist dispositioning of non-conformances and drive corrective actionsLead development of innovative design concepts that reduce complexity, part count, cost, and lead time while maximizing reliability within program constraintsServe as the turbomachinery representative for Alpha engine testing, stage testing, and launch operationsQualificationsRequiredB.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or a related engineering disciplineLevel II, 3+ years experience. Level III, 6+ years experience.Fundamental understanding of rotating machineryStrong understanding of fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and solid mechanicsDeep knowledge of engineering fundamentals and a demonstrated history of applying first principles to arrive at simple, robust solutionsHands-on experience with hardware design, fabrication, and testingProven experience with CAD and configuration management tools (Siemens NX and Teamcenter preferred), including management of large assemblies, and comprehension of GD&T, tolerancing, and ASME Y14.5Familiarity with Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, GFSSP, or other control, data acquisition, and reduction softwareWorking knowledge of manufacturing and inspection methods relevant to turbomachinery (precision machining, castings/forgings, additive manufacturing, welding, assembly, and NDT)Excellent problem-solving, communication, and technical writing skillsProven ability to rapidly develop solutions with partially defined or evolving requirementsDesired QualificationsAdvanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or an equivalent field5+ years of experience developing turbomachinery for launch vehicle, spacecraft, or liquid rocket engine propulsion systemsDemonstrated experience with full hardware lifecycle ownership, from blank-sheet design through full operationExperience designing, analyzing, developing, or testing turbomachinery or other rotating equipment (rocket turbopumps, gas turbines, compressors, industrial pumps, etc.)Specialized depth in one or more of: pump/inducer hydrodynamic design, turbine aero-mechanical design, rotordynamics, bearing design, or seal designExperience with secondary flow and axial thrust balance modeling, meanline analysis, and cavitation performance prediction and mitigationProficiency with industry analysis tools such as ANSYS (CFX, Fluent, Mechanical, thermal), StarCCM+, BladeGen, Concepts NREC, or rotordynamics software (e.g., XLRotor; SAFE and Campbell diagrams)In-depth knowledge of cryogenic, high-pressure, or high-temperature system operations and compatible material selectionExperience with design for manufacturability of turbomachinery componentsExperience with dynamic/spin balancing and turbopump assembly, integration, and acceptance proceduresExperience with data acquisition systems and test instrumentation including pressure transducers, thermocouples, RTDs, flow meters, load cells, and accelerometersExperience reducing the complexity of large integrated assemblies to reduce part count, cost, and lead timeFirefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, relocation benefits, educational reimbursement, short term disability, and flexible PTO options.To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firefly is governed based on merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.